UKHRUL: Tezpur University in Assam has been in turmoil since the death of singer Zubeen Garg on September 19.
Tensions first escalated when students alleged that Vice-Chancellor (VC) Shambhu Nath Singh prevented them from holding a condolence meeting. Singh later dismissed the claim as a misunderstanding.
However, discontent with the VC predates the incident. In a memorandum submitted to the Union Ministry of Education on November 18, the Tezpur University Teachers’ Association accused him of extending the finance officer’s tenure multiple times, making irregular faculty appointments, favouring certain bidders in tenders, and taking opaque financial decisions.
The association also noted that Singh had been off campus for 388 days between April 2023 and September 2024, a period they say led to “administrative stagnation” and a breakdown of trust.
Garg’s death acted as a catalyst. On September 19, after an altercation with students, the VC reportedly left the campus and has not returned since.
What began as sit-ins in mid-September, backed by the Teachers’ Association and the Non-Teaching Employees’ Association under the Tezpur University United Forum has since grown into a complete campus shutdown.
A fact-finding committee and a delegation from the Ministry of Education visited the university over a month ago, but the deadlock remains.
As Thursday (December 4) marks 75 days of continuous protest, there is still no sign of resolution.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X that he has urged the Union Education Minister to appoint a Pro-Vice Chancellor.
“I urged the Hon’ble Minister to appoint a Pro-Vice Chancellor immediately, pending an impartial inquiry into the conduct of the present Vice Chancellor, so that academic stability is maintained,” Sarma posted.
Stakeholders, however, are firm that only the removal of the absconding VC, the appointment of an acting Vice-Chancellor, and a judicial inquiry into alleged financial irregularities will restore their trust.
On Thursday (December 4), the VC called an online “special emergent” meeting of the Board of Management, which protesters opposed.
Reportedly, the VC and four external members were present, the board resolved to appoint Joya Chakraborty, a professor in the Department of Mass Communication, as Pro-Vice Chancellor.
The decision was immediately rejected by faculty and staff.
Under the university statute, if the VC is absent and no Pro-VC is available, the senior-most professor must take charge. With the VC missing for 75 days, Professor D. K. Bhattacharyya assumed office as Acting VC.
On December 4, in a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, Bhattacharyya of the Computer Science and Engineering department stated that he had “assumed the charge of Office of the VC as the Acting VC” with immediate effect.
Disclaimer: All information in this article is drawn from publicly available sources and/or insights provided by the experts consulted.